Silence
by StrawberrySilver
Summary: When Maplepaw was just a kit, she would dream of being a warrior of Rainclan. But when a seemingly freak, but devastatingly fatal, accident necessitates a revenge plot, Maplepaw finds herself lost in an unfamiliar world; a world where she is rendered completely silent.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1:::

Sunlight dappled through the leafy forest canopy, pushing the forest floor into a dazzling display of light and shadow, a perfect picture of an eternal war. Three shapes flew silently along the ground, barely skimming the cool earth beneath them. No leaf rustled to give away their position, no animal was alerted to their presence. The normal sounds of the forest; the chirping of birds, the soft rustling of move and voles, and the chatter of squirrels, were the only sounds to be heard.

The three shapes, stealthy and silent, paused in their movement. With barely noticeable flicks of tails and ears, the companions split into two groups. A group of one, who slipped into the shadows effortlessly, and a group of two. The pair crept under a large bramble bush, where they paused for a moment.

The first, much larger than the second, was clearly in charge. Ears pricked forward, he was completely still. If you hadn't seen him slink under the bush, you wouldn't know he was there. Only the most intelligent, most observant could see his glittering, deep brown eyes. His tail draped over the second shape, stilling her the best he could. This form was jittery, fluffy tail lashing back and forth with excitement. Her ears twisted around at all angles, taking in everything and nothing. Shining, frosty blue eyes stared out from the bush, completely out of place. The light blue orbs sucked in the forest eagerly, absorbing everything they could.

"Breathe," the first shape whispered softly, never taking his eyes off the forest before them. "Your twitching will scare off all the prey for miles."

Obediently, the second, smaller shape sucked in a quiet, deep breath. She let it out slowly, sparkling eyes closing as she focussed. Chest rising and falling, she attempted to relax, mentally walking through the process of catching prey. Her tail, however, never ceased its violent twitching. Sheepishly, she glanced at the larger shape as she lifted her tail off the ground so it was free to lash on its own with no danger of rustling a single leaf.

"What do you hear?" asked the larger shape, voice soft enough that the smaller form barely heard him.

She thought carefully about her answer, swiveling her ears to capture all the sounds she could. "Prey, in the bushes," she murmured, focussing in on the blackberry bushes directly ahead of them. "Mice, most likely."

"Anything else?"

"Birds in the trees- I don't think they know we're here."

Nodding his approval, the large shape locked his gaze on the blackberry bushes. "Remember what I've taught you so far," he whispered softly. His dark eyes did not waver from the bush directly ahead, his hunting instincts already kicking in. "Stay low, keep quiet, and be alert." He paused, sucking in a slow, deep breath. "Don't forget to th-"

"Thank Starclan for its life," the smaller shape finished, flashing the other form a quick grin. "I know all this already! I can do this!" she whispered excitedly.

"Calm down," the large form said as sternly as he could muster without breaking the quiet of the forest. He gave the small shape a meaningful look, but when brown eyes met bright blue, he found it hard to keep a smile off his face and a purr from his throat. She was ready, every fiber of his being hummed with the anticipation of her upcoming success. He checked himself, focussing instead on the _now._ This wasn't the first time she had tried her hand at hunting, but it was the first time he has felt certain she would obtain her first kill. He paused his thinking, zeroing in on the smaller shape crouched beside him. He gazed at her for half a moment, and then he gave her a small nod. She was ready.

Practically glowing with excitement, the small shape began to move slowly forward. Her paws barely lifted from the ground, gliding with practiced ease over crinkly leaves and twigs that would snap. Her frosty eyes watched the blackberry bush with steely determination and focus. Her breaths came slowly and deeply, every ounce of concentration focussed on the task at hand. She paused in the center of the clearing, listening to the scuffling sounds of prey. She flicked her tail in excitement, a nervous tic that would not stop.

Her eyes caught the quick, sharp movements of a mouse in the bush. She began to move again, closing in on the ignorant mouse. Nose buried in a ripe blackberry, it couldn't smell her coming. She stopped two tail-lengths away, not daring to get any closer. She sucked in a deep breath, leaning back on her haunches. Her tail lashed madly, possessed with a hunter's spirit. Her back legs tensed, ready to leap. _Please, Starclan, please._

The larger shape watched her, cringing at her tail's frantic lashing, but excited all the same. He assessed her form, her posture, her approach, everything. There was a lot wrong, for sure, but there was a lot right, too. Room for improvement, certainly, but that didn't necessarily spell failure. In fact, the exact opposite was true. The certainty of her future success had become a tangible thing, hanging in the air around him like a positive cloud. It clung to his fur, wiggling under his pelt to infect the skin beneath. Every hair on him tingled with excitement and pride, but he didn't show it. "Come on, you can do it," he murmured, so softly he couldn't even hear himself.

Maybe she did hear him though, because without another wasted second, she leapt. She seemed to hover in air for years, but it was only a fraction of a second. _Tuck the tail, extend the legs, unsheath the claws._ She landed in the blackberry bush, out of sight. He froze, suddenly uncertain.

When she landed, her heart jumped out of her mouth and skittered up a tree, leaving her gasping and heartless. Her mind took over, her claws caging the mouse effortlessly beneath her. The creature squeaked in fright, attempting to escape. She bent down quickly, delivering the final mercy to the terrified mouse, a killing bite to the neck. It sagged limply, ceasing to struggle, ceasing to breathe. _Thank you, Starclan,_ she thought her heart holding her muzzle in a great smile of pride and joy so it could slip quickly down her throat and into her chest like it had never left. There, it settled into a huge ball of warmth and happiness, her ears pounding and heart rate spiking as realization dawned on her.

She snatched the mouse from where it lay on the ground, crashing out of the blackberry bush and scaring off any other prey that they might have caught later. " _Lionpelt!"_ she shrieked, running up to the other shape in the bushes. " _Look, look, LOOK!"_

The large form crawled out of the bush, pride buzzing in his ears. "Wow, good job!" he meowed to her, cuffing her ears playfully. His golden pelt glowed with pride, seeing his apprentice catch her first prey. His dark eyes sparkled, and he gestured for the apprentice to lead the way back to the place where they split from the patrol for some hunting practice.

The way back was slower, and not because the apprentice's jaws were full of prey, Not because she was too busy bouncing with excitement to walk properly, but because the pair stopped along the way for more hunting. The apprentice managed to catch a vole, while Lionpelt snagged a squirrel and a sparrow. When they returned to the spot, another shape was waiting for them. He eyed the apprentice's bounty.

"Wow, good job," he said genuinely, smiling at her before standing. Beside him were two voles and a robin, and he snatched them up before leaping silently into the bushes. Lionpelt followed, and the apprentice followed him.

Just as silently as they had entered, the trio bounded back through the forest with equally quiet movements. No less graceful, even with their mouths full of prey, they leapt over fallen trees and ducked under brambles. The forest flew by them in a blur of greens. From the light greens of the treetops to the dark, tangled greens of the underbrush, the forest painted an exquisite abstract around the warriors.

Ahead of them, the trees thinned slightly, giving way to a wall of sheer rock, a small mountain compared to the hills of Swiftclan. There, at the base of the light grey rock, was a small tunnel, worn away by centuries of water and rain. The trio approached slowly, letting their scent wash over the land ahead of them.

"Hey, whatcha got there, Maplepaw?" a friendly voice asked from the underbrush surrounding the rock. A head popped out, his face ripped in half by the enormous grin he wore. He padded over quickly, admiring Maplepaw's first catch. "Good work, Maplepaw!" he said, flicking his tail at the warriors behind her.

"Thanks, Volepelt," Maplepaw answered through her prey. She waved goodbye with her tail, following her mentor through the tunnel. She squeezed through the bramble barrier, her pelt snagging the thorns as she crawled. Emerging into the stone tunnel, she bounded down in quickly. Her paws made small splashing noises on the moist rock. Ahead of her, sunlight shone through the exit. Picking up speed, the desire to flaunt her prey pushing her paws to move faster and faster, she approached the light at the end of the tunnel. Her eyes, adjusted to the darkness, closed as a wave of white washed over her. She leapt, sure of herself, into the light ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2:::

Her paws registered the gritty feel of sand between her toes. She blinked rapidly, her vision fading in from the white wall before her. She grinned happily around the prey in her jaws, bounding after Lionpelt's retreating shape. Dropping her prey on top of his on the fresh-kill pile, Maplepaw gently nudged Lionpelt's shoulder with her own, turning her beseeching ice blue eyes to him. The golden furred tom laughed, dark eyes sparkling.

"Go on," he said. "Take something to the elders first, then you can eat. The other apprentices should be back soon enough. I'll come get you later on for more training." With a final smile, he bumped her shoulder back and padded away, leaving paw indentions in the sand. Maplepaw watched him go, tail flicking.

She quickly snatched up two voles, trotting towards the elder's den. The den, which was located behind a rock shelf that allowed the small area directly outside an equal amount of shade and sun, was large and spacious. As a kit, Maplepaw would go there to escape the cramped nursery and listen to the elder's stories. Her paws knew the way well, and it wasn't long before she was poking her head inside.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Maplepaw," a raspy voice purred. Maplepaw flicked one red ear, turning to look at the she-cat lounging towards the back of the den.

"Hey, Yellowtail," Maplepaw replied cheerily. "I have some prey for you."

"Well, if that wasn't the nicest thing for you to do," Yellowtail meowed hoarsely, swishing her matted tail along the sandy floor of the den. "Come, set it here, dear."

Maplepaw obeyed, padding over to the aged queen. She dropped one vole beside Yellowtail on the indicated spot. "Where are Rockheart and Vineclaw?" she asked.

"Sunning themselves I think," replied Yellowtail. "Leave them the last vole, I won't finish mine anyhow, and we can all share."

"Alright."

"Now, dearest, is there a particular story you would like to hear?" asked Yellowtail, settling herself to where she could eat her vole comfortably. Her clouded green eyes watched Maplepaw intently, never wavering.

"Um, actually, Yellowtail, I'm an apprentice now. I don't have time for-"

"Bah! Nonsense, kit, there's always time for a quick story! Why, you used to _love_ them so!"

"I'm not a kit any-"

"Now, I think you ought to hear one about Jaggedstar, the famed leader of Rainclan who-"

"Yellowtail, I have some stuff I gotta do, maybe I could come back another time-"

"He was a handsome one, that Jaggedstar. Mighty fine, mighty fine. Anyway, the entire camp was surrounded by Swiftclan warriors, and Jaggestar ordered-"

"Let the poor apprentice go, Yellowtail," laughed a voice from the entrance. Rockheart, eyes bright, padded slowly inside. Vineclaw leaned on him heavily, hobbling feebly next to his friend. "You remember what it was like to be young, with everywhere to go and everything to do, your whole life ahead of you."

Rockheart allowed Vineclaw to settle on the sandy floor, nudging a vole towards him. "You run along now, Maplepaw, I suspect you have many apprentice duties to attend to."

Grateful, Maplepaw shot Rockheart a quick grin, turning to bound away from the elders.

"Come back and visit sometime, y'hear?" Yellowtail called hoarsely after the departing apprentice.

"I will!" Maplepaw replied, already turning the corner around the rock shelf and back into the hustle and bustle of the main camp area. She scampered quickly through the camp, paws slipping on the sand beneath them. Kicking up sand into the air, Maplepaw slid to a stop just as a border patrol padded into camp.

Muscled warriors strode in first, quickly followed by two smaller forms. Maplepaw hesitated a moment, ice blue eyes focussed on the first of the two. The apprentice's eyes met hers, and his green eyes communicated a firm affirmation to her silent question. Grinning again, Maplepaw bounded over to the Sunning Rock, snatching the mouse she caught along the way.

The large, flat rock was warm and inviting as Maplepaw leapt onto it. The sun that shone brightly into the camp had warmed it, and Maplepaw purred in contentment. Without waiting for her companions, Maplepaw bit into her mouse. The succulent flavor of fresh prey, made all the sweeter by the knowledge that she had caught it herself, exploded onto her tongue. Maplepaw purred louder, blue eyes closed in bliss.

The sun warmed her fluffy pelt, which was glowing white. She wrapped her fluffy, red tabby-striped tail around herself, completely content. Her ears, red like her tail, were relaxed, no longer strained with the effort of catching prey.

"Hey, sis," a friendly prey-muffled voice called. Maplepaw opened her eyes, smiling when she saw familiar green ones meeting hers.

"Hey yourself," she said, sliding over to make room for the pair of apprentices.

"How was the hunting?" the first one asked. His pelt, the same shade of red as Maplepaw's tail and ears, was a red tabby. His legs were white up to just below his belly, which, along with the front side of his neck, was white. His face was mostly white, the splotch rising up to his eyes and out the length of his face. The tip of this tail was white, and just as fluffy as Maplepaw's. He shook out his thick pelt, settling down beside her with a sparrow.

"Oh, y'know," Maplepaw said vaguely, relishing the anticipation of the moment when she, finally, revealed to her brother that she had managed to catch her first prey.

"C'mon, out with it! My li'l sis, still can't catch a thing, am I right, Darkpaw?" the apprentice said, nudging the dark pelted apprentice next to him.

"Oh, yeah?" Maplepaw said, chest swelling up with pride. "Well, for your information, Redpaw, I _did_ catch something! Several somethings, in fact."

Redpaw's green eyes widened. "Hey, good job!" he said, nudging Maplepaw happily. "Finally, you've caught up to the rest of us."

Maplepaw glowered at him, shoving Redpaw as hard as she could. She was rewarded when he fell into Darkpaw, who grinned at them both and settled down to eat.

"Good work, Maplepaw," Darkpaw said. His yellow eyes locked on hers, and he looked away quickly. Maplepaw smiled at him, settling down next to Redpaw again. Darkpaw turned back to his prey, dark pelt soaking up sunrays. His single white splotch on his chest seemed oddly out of place on him.

Maplepaw took another bite of her mouse, another, just as powerful, explosion of flavor bursting from the still-warm flesh. She chewed thoughtfully, giving Redpaw and Darkpaw a chance to fill the air around them. Neither took the opportunity, seemingly content to eat in companionable silence.

"Soooooooo," Maplepaw began, nudging her brother, "how was the border patrol?"

Redpaw started to answer, his mouth full of sparrow. "Et fash eawwee-"

"It was really _interesting_ ," Darkpaw interrupted, saving Redpaw from any more failed attempts at speaking. "We picked up some fresh Swiftclan scent close to the border, but they hadn't crossed it."

"Swiftclan scum," Maplepaw growled. "Can't they just stay in their own territory?"

"They _were,_ " Darkpaw answered. "They have border patrols, too, and that's what Tallthorn thought it was." Redpaw nodded enthusiastically, still chewing.

"Well, they're still scum," Maplepaw shot back.

Darkpaw blinked his yellow orbs, watching Maplepaw lash her tail. "They're just in a different clan, is all," he murmured softly. "They're still warriors, just like Tallthorn and Lionpelt."

"I suppose so," replied Maplepaw, a tad bit calmer. "But they're still in Swiftclan, and we're in Rainclan. Guess we'll never know for sure."

"Yeah, _anyway,_ " Redpaw butted in, sparrow successfully swallowed, "we tracked a strange scent along the border. Jayflight wasn't sure what it was, but he said it wasn't usual. He was real worried about it, wasn't he, Darkpaw?"

"Sure was."

"Well, what did it smell like?" asked Maplepaw impatiently.

"It was kinda…" Redpaw started.

"Musty," finished Darkpaw. "Like a fox, but different.

"Old scent, too," Redpaw commented. "At least a couple days old, which is weird 'cause some other patrol shoulda picked up on it."

"Plus, it smelled like the Thunderpath."

"But not _exactly_ like it."

"Yeah, and we checked the border by the Thunderpath, and we couldn't pick up on the scent there. The… the… the _thing_ was going a completely different way," Darkpaw explained. He gestured with his tail, indicating the direction the Thunderpath was in.

"Woah… do ya think it's dangerous?" Maplepaw asked.

"Tallthorn was kinda worried," Darkpaw replied.

"Yeah, and Jayflight got real jumpy after that, didn't he?" Redpaw said.

Maplepaw cast a quick glance around the camp. She spotted the light blue-grey tom talking quietly to Mousetail, the deputy. Mousetail nodded solemnly, listening intently. Maplepaw watched the exchange for a second more, before turning back to Redpaw and Darkpaw. "He's talking to Mousetail right now," she whispered to them, flicking her tail in Mousetail and Jayflight's general direction. The boys paused their eating to look up, faces bearing identical masks of curiosity and worry.

"Should… should we be worried?" Maplepaw asked, not really expecting an answer. She didn't get one.

"Maplepaw!" a voice called from across the camp. Maplepaw shook her head, dislodging cobwebs of worry and foreboding. She glanced up to see Lionpelt beckoning her impatiently with his tail.

"Sorry, gotta go…" Maplepaw said ruefully, turning back to the toms. "Talk to ya later, I guess."

"Alright, see ya later, sis," Redpaw said.

"See you soon, Maplepaw," Darkpaw echoed.

Maplepaw trotted over to Lionpelt, red tail flicking back and forth.

"Hey, you," Lionpelt said. "Ready for a little battle training?"

"Yeah!" Maplepaw answered enthusiastically, fears forgotten for the moment.

"Alright, I think Fawnpaw and Foxpaw are already there. Ready to go?"

Maplepaw cast one last glance over her shoulder. Redpaw and Darkpaw raised their tails in farewell, giving her matching grins. Maplepaw flicked her ear and raised her tail in acknowledgement. She turned back to Lionpelt, who was watching her, waiting for an answer. "Ready," Maplepaw answered.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again outside in the cool forest, Maplepaw shed her worries as easily as a snake shedding skin. She chalked Redpaw and Darkpaw's strange behavior to their trying to scare her, as usual. _I won't give them the satisfaction!_ she vowed silently, following Lionpelt's golden fur as he weaved effortlessly through the forest.

Maplepaw pricked her red ears forward. Just ahead, she could hear the slight scuffle of paws on sand, the panting breaths of cats moving, and the occasional _thud_ of a sheathed paw connecting with a moving target. Lionpelt glanced back at his apprentice, dark eyes connecting with her blue ones briefly before he turned around and took off at a full sprint towards the sounds. Caught off guard, Maplepaw shook her head before following him, albeit at a slower pace.

The sounds continued: _scuffle, pant, thud. Scuffle, scuffle, thud. Pant._ Maplepaw leapt nimbly through the underbrush around her, fluffy red tail whipping frantically to keep her balance as she weaved through the dense forest. Light on her paws, just like Lionpelt had taught her, Maplepaw chased after her mentor. Just ahead of her, she could see his golden fur weaving gracefully and effortlessly. Even a few pawsteps behind him, Maplepaw felt clumsy and slow.

The scuffling noises stopped suddenly, and Maplepaw hurried to catch up to the now-slowing Lionpelt. She crawled up to his side, belly fur brushing against the ground. Her mentor stood just on the edge of a large clearing, still hidden by the underbrush. He held up a golden tail to her, and Maplepaw closed her already open jaws with a small snap. Instead of questioning his frantic sprinting, Maplepaw focussed her icy eyes on the center of the clearing.

In the center, a large sand pit stood, completely random in the lush forest. Crouched inside were two cats, both apprentices. Their mentors watched from the edge of the sand, not speaking to either apprentice.

The larger apprentice had the smaller one pinned. Completely red tabby, save for his paws, he was clearly the better fighter of the two. "Gotcha," he said, grinning at the apprentice below him. His green eyes flashed with amusement as the smaller apprentice wiggled.

"Get _off,_ you mouse-brain," grumbled the trapped apprentice. She was an attractive brown color, with darker brown ears and paws. Large, dark brown spots speckled her pelt, giving her a patchy appearance. She had a light brown underbelly that extended up to her face, splashing her muzzle. Her green eyes, considerably lighter than the apprentice's above her, practically clawed the ears off of the other apprentice.

"If you were a better fighter, I wouldn't have pinned you so easily," the red apprentice retorted.

"I'm a _fine_ fighter, Foxpaw," snarled the she-cat. "I just slipped a second, I thought I heard pawsteps."

"Uh huh, whatever makes you feel better, Fawnpaw," Foxpaw laughed, letting Fawnpaw up. He shook his pelt free of a few loose grains of sand, stretching lazily. This infuriated Fawnpaw, who sat up indignantly. As soon as Foxpaw turned back to her, she flicked a wave of sand into his face, laughing at his stunned, and now sandy, expression.

"I'll get you for that," he growled playfully, leaping at her. Fawnpaw squealed, sliding nimbly out of the way.

"Watch," murmured Lionpelt to Maplepaw. "Learn something from them before it is your turn." Maplepaw nodded her acknowledgement, not taking her eyes off of the squabbling apprentices.

What had started as a play fight had quickly turned into a mock battle, each apprentice using new skills they had learned in that training session in an attempt to beat the other. They had stopped the fun kit games, perfecting their moves for eventual battle.

Foxpaw swiped at Fawnpaw's muzzle with sheathed claws. Fawnpaw reacted quickly, crouching down to avoid the swipe. She launched herself, staying low to the ground, at Foxpaw's legs. She connected, bowling him over. Foxpaw grunted, letting her knock him over. Surprised at his lack of resistance, Fawnpaw over committed herself, unable to stop her momentum. Foxpaw shot her a grin, bunching his hind legs in preparation. When she was parallel to the ground, prepared to pin him, he kicked up, knocking her a few tail-lengths away. The breath shot from her lungs with an audible _oof,_ and Fawnpaw sprawled, seemingly lifeless, in the sand.

Barely hesitating, Foxpaw rolled over, crouching in preparation of Fawnpaw's next attack. He paused a heartbeat, seeing that his battle partner was struggling to suck air into her lungs. A triumphant grin fixed to his muzzle, the red tabby launched himself at Fawnpaw. At the last possible moment, Fawnpaw's green eyes rolled upwards to see the red apprentice bearing down on her. Face contorted in concentration, Fawnpaw flipped on her stomach, legs bunched close to her. She let Foxpaw land on her, but quickly shoved back against his weight.

Fawnpaw continued to batter Foxpaw with her hind legs, snarling at him. She jerked wildly to the side, throwing off Foxpaw's balance. Using this, she twisted the other way, pushing with her paws in the opposite direction. Foxpaw fell off her, sprawling a paw-length away. Fawnpaw leapt up, spinning around to face him a safe distance away. Shaking the sand from his pelt, but never taking his eyes off of her, Foxpaw rose from the sand. They stalked circles around each other, catching their breath and assessing the other's injuries.

This lasted what seemed like an eternity to the watchful Maplepaw, but in reality was really only a few heartbeats. Breaking the circle, Fawnpaw unexpectedly launched herself at the unprepared Foxpaw. The startled apprentice flailed under Fawnpaw's weight. She snarled down at him, pinning him down in all the right places instead of with her weight, as he had done to her. Foxpaw struggled a while longer, desperately trying to knock Fawnpaw off, but the brown apprentice was as sturdy as a boulder in the Rainclan camp. Finally, Foxpaw sagged beneath her. He mumbled something to her under his breath, not meeting her eyes.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Fawnpaw asked sweetly, green eyes sparkling with feigned innocence. She blinked at him sweetly, her smile practically oozing sickly sweet syrup.

He muttered something again, a little bit louder.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Fawnpaw purred, voice as smooth and sweet as honey. Unfortunately, the implication had a stinger.

Foxpaw snarled something unintelligible to Maplepaw, but the warriors in the clearing watching snickered with amusement.

"Once more, Foxpaw, dear," Fawnpaw said again, this time not masking the venom and gloating in her voice.

" _YOU WIN, GET OFF OF ME!"_ Foxpaw howled in shame, lashing his red tail angrily. His ears were pinned, and a snarl of both anger and embarrasment plastered his muzzle.

"Why didn't you just _say_ so?" asked Fawnpaw innocently, stepping off of the flustered apprentice daintily. She licked her chest fur nonchalantly, green eyes glittering with amusement. Foxpaw grumbled at her, but if Fawnpaw noticed, she didn't ask him to speak up again. The red tabby apprentice stalked out of the sand, sitting down haughtily by his mentor. He groomed his pelt angrily, ridding it, mostly, of sand.

Fawnpaw padded out of the sand pit after him, holding back laughter. Purring softly, she sat next to her mentor, grooming her pelt more calmly and dignified than Foxpaw.

Next to Maplepaw, Lionpelt rose from his crouch. He padded out into the clearing like he hadn't been crouched there the entire time, shaking his own pelt free of leaves and dirt. Maplepaw followed, standing awkwardly beside him. Lionpelt nodded to the two warriors, leading Maplepaw into the sand pit. The white apprentice flicked her red ears. She gave her tail a wave to Foxpaw and Fawnpaw. The latter waved back, the former fumed silently.

Stifling her own laughter, Maplepaw turned to face Lionpelt. Her blue eyes locked with his brown ones, and he nodded once to her, dropping into a fighting crouch. Maplepaw followed suit, muzzle twisting into a happy grin at the prospect of battle training. Lionpelt took a slow swipe at her muzzle, like they had practiced only yesterday. In slow motion, focussing on technique, Maplepaw jumped back, neatly avoiding the swipe. She lashed out with her own paw, and Lionpelt ducked underneath of it. Maplepaw immediately danced to the right, avoiding a paw swipe intended to knock her off her paws.

She reared back, dodging Lionpelt's upward explosion. He was now mere inches from her face, picking up the pace of their battle. He kept the moves simple and controlled, warming Maplepaw up for what was to come. Neither of their paws ever actually connected with the other, and the mock battle never was brought up to full speed. Instead, Maplepaw went through the motions of ducking, jumping, dodging, and attacking. Her red tail, fluffed up from excitement, whipped back and forth, allowing her to balance.

She slipped on the sand, crashing to the ground with an oof. Lionpelt, barely hesitating, pounced on her. Kicking her hind legs, Maplepaw wriggled away from the spot where she was. Lionpelt managed to pin her haunches, but a swift kick snapped his jaws together and knocked him off her.

Temporarily horrified at what she had done, Maplepaw froze. Lionpelt stood slowly, respect for his apprentice clouding his vision. He nodded to her, approaching in a non-threatening way.

"Good job, Maplepaw," he said softly. "I think you're ready for a real mock battle." He gestured to Fawnpaw, who was watching apprentice and mentor with interest. The brown apprentice bounded to Lionpelt's side, facing Maplepaw with excitement. The prospect of battle made her eyes shine, and she flashed Maplepaw a grin that was part friendship, part anticipation, and part sympathy.

Maplepaw gulped, crouching across from Fawnpaw. She braced herself, physically and mentally, for Fawnpaw's upcoming attack.


End file.
